Interesting Trees Around Buntzen Lake | Forest Oddities & Photos

After hundreds of walks and hikes around Buntzen Lake, I have come across plenty of unusual trees, roots, stumps, and other small details that are easy to miss if you are focused only on reaching your destination.

Some are the result of natural growth, decay, fire, or injury. Others are reminders of the area’s logging history. This page is a collection of some of the more interesting examples I have photographed around Buntzen Lake and the surrounding trails.

A Tree with a Major Sap Flow

This tree on the west side of the Buntzen Lake Trail was producing an unusually large amount of sap or resin. The flow started well above ground level and had built up into a thick layer extending downhill for roughly 2 m.

Trees can produce sap or resin in response to injury, insect activity, disease, cracks in the bark, or other stress. Without examining the tree closely, it is impossible to know exactly what caused this particular flow, but it was certainly one of the more dramatic examples I have seen.

Tree with a large sap or resin flow beside the Buntzen Lake Trail — A large sap or resin flow on a tree beside the Buntzen Lake Trail.

A Burned Spiral Tree

On the east side of Buntzen Lake, I found this burned-out tree with a striking spiral shape. Fire, decay, wind, and uneven growth can leave trees with some remarkable forms, although the exact history of this one is unknown.

Burned spiral-shaped tree at Buntzen Lake — A burned tree with an unusual spiral form on the east side of Buntzen Lake.

Stumps Growing on Stumps

Large old logging stumps are common around Buntzen Lake and are reminders of logging that took place in the area many decades ago.

The stumps below are particularly interesting. New trees established themselves on top of the older stumps, sending roots down around the decaying wood. Those younger trees were later cut as well, leaving what looks like a stump growing on top of another stump.

As old stumps slowly decay, the roots of the younger tree can remain standing around the empty space, sometimes forming surprisingly elaborate shapes.

Trees growing from old logging stumps at Buntzen Lake — Old logging stumps supporting later generations of trees near South Beach.

Woodpecker Excavation

During one walk on Lakeview Trail, I noticed what looked almost like someone had attacked a tree with a saw. The damage was high above the ground and surprisingly extensive.

On a later visit, the mystery was solved when I saw a woodpecker actively working on the tree. By then, it had already begun excavating a second section.

Woodpeckers excavate trees for several reasons, including searching for insects and creating nesting or roosting cavities. Decaying or insect-damaged wood is often particularly attractive to them.

Woodpecker excavation damage high on a tree along Lakeview Trail — Woodpecker excavation high on a tree along Lakeview Trail.

A Tiny Waterfall After Heavy Rain

Heavy rainfall can reveal small features around Buntzen Lake that disappear again once the forest dries out. After one particularly wet period, water was dripping steadily over a moss-covered rock beside the trail, creating what looked like a miniature waterfall.

A Loopy Branch

This branch somehow managed to form an almost complete loop before continuing to grow. Trees can produce unusual shapes when branches are redirected by obstacles, damage, changing light conditions, or irregular growth.

Tree branch growing in a loop at Buntzen Lake — A branch with an unusual loop-shaped growth pattern.

An Unusual Tree on the Diez Vistas Trail

This tree on the Diez Vistas Trail has another unusual growth pattern. It may have been influenced by an old injury, damage when the tree was young, competing growth, or another disturbance, but there is no way to determine the exact cause from appearance alone.

Tree with an unusual growth pattern on the Diez Vistas Trail — An unusual growth pattern on a tree along the Diez Vistas Trail.

A Tree Growing Around a Rock

Trees are remarkably good at adapting to obstacles. This one began growing beside a large rock and gradually expanded around it.

As trunks and roots increase in diameter, they can slowly envelop rocks, old stumps, fences, and other objects that happen to be in the way.

Tree growing around a large rock near Buntzen Lake — A tree adapting its growth around a large rock.

Patterns in the Roots

On a connecting trail between Diez Vistas and Lakeview Trail, I noticed this interesting root pattern. Roots often follow the easiest route through soil, around rocks, and across fallen wood, producing shapes that can look almost deliberately designed.

Interesting tree root pattern near Buntzen Lake — An interesting pattern formed by tree roots near Buntzen Lake.

Part of the Fun of Walking at Buntzen Lake

These are the kinds of things I enjoy noticing after repeatedly walking the same trails. A familiar route can look completely different after a storm, during another season, or simply when you happen to notice something you have walked past dozens of times before.

Some of the most interesting features at Buntzen Lake are not viewpoints or destinations at all. They are just small details in the forest that make you stop for a closer look.